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5093. alistairconnor - 8/8/2006 10:56:58 AM It's terribly unfair for Floyd : I'm convinced that he's the cleanest winner of the Tour for at least ten years.
I may be wrong, but I'm sticking to my original impression that he used testosterone out of desperation on that one occasion to help recover from a disastrous day, and to give him the drive to counter-attack.
Whereas the EPO era, and the more sophisticated forms of blood doping of recent years, were far worse. 5094. iiibbb - 8/8/2006 2:44:23 PM I don't know if it will end his career or not. Say he was really actually clean... his surgery goes well... he comes back in 2 years and could win the tour in 2-5 years clean as can be.
LeMond's theory is that he was basically clean, but made a bad decision the night after his bad day. 5095. wonkers2 - 8/8/2006 3:41:46 PM That makes sense to me--i.e. bad decsion after a bad day. He may have gambled or gotten advice that he would go undetected. 5096. iiibbb - 8/8/2006 4:24:52 PM Either way the UCI is going to have to go through the motions of stripping the title... fair or not. Landis will have to collect his case and appeal the decision. It's a tall order. The UCI can't exactly afford any more egg on their faces after botching this case.
It's quite analogous to one of us suing the gov't. 5097. wabbit - 8/8/2006 4:25:06 PM That he made a bad decision if he used a patch (or whatever) I will agree with, but I find it hard to believe that he thought he'd not be tested. He knew he had to make a huge move to be in contention; that kind of thing draws attention. Also, there has been more rigorous testing this year than in the past, at least superficially, if not in fact. It seems incredible that anyone would risk the win when the odds of being tested had to be very high.
What do you all think about Pat McQuaid's idea of punishing team bosses along with riders? If one believes that most athletes couldn't pull their heads out of their butts with two hands and a winch, then perhaps it's time to hold the folks in charge of the team accountable as well. 5098. alistairconnor - 8/8/2006 4:36:39 PM Absolutely agree. Clearly, the most egrerious cases of modern times have been completely under the control of the team and its medical staff : the big bust of Richard Virenque's team in 1998, and this year's Spanish blood doping scandal.
On the other hand, I've got a problem with Floyd's claims in the same article :
Meanwhile, Landis, who risks being stripped of his Tour title, hit back Monday at world cycling authorities, accusing them of ambushing him with the premature release of doping tests. [...] "Had they followed their own protocols, this never would have happened in the first place."
That sounds suspiciously, to me, like "if we could have talked it over before releasing the results, we could have hushed it up"... what else could he possibly mean?
I have a suspicion that positive drug tests, on the Tour at least, happen more often than is reported... i.e. the labs are scientific and impartial, the Tour organisation is neither. I suspect that the premature release of the A test may have been a whistle-blowing operation, to forestall a cover-up... 5099. iiibbb - 8/8/2006 4:49:14 PM
I have a suspicion that positive drug tests, on the Tour at least, happen more often than is reported... i.e. the labs are scientific and impartial, the Tour organisation is neither. I suspect that the premature release of the A test may have been a whistle-blowing operation, to forestall a cover-up...
That is entirely believable. 5100. Max Macks - 8/8/2006 5:41:41 PM I can't help wondering whether if all the bikers
used that tetesterone whether Landis would
still be the winner !
I mean just the part of his hip hurting for
much of the way , was what makes me think
his winning either with or without the dope
was a great thing,
and as he knew he would be tested and had been
it seems to me he would not risk taking
any dope.
Is there a lot of money involved in the Tour de france
or just the money from endorsing products?
It's a little off-topic but
what do you think about Barry Bonds?
I think he used steroids and that any
record Home runs he made should
have some * or something by the figure. 5101. iiibbb - 8/11/2006 12:17:31 AM Why the UCI sucks 5102. wabbit - 8/13/2006 5:06:14 PM I think if Bonds can be proven to have used steroids, he should be *'d, along with Sosa, McGuire, and anyone else. 5103. wabbit - 8/13/2006 5:06:30 PM  A beautiful day in suburban Chicago proved to be a proper setting for veteran turf runner The Tin Man to return to the Arlington Million after a three year absence. The eight-year-old captured the 24th renewal of the Arlington Million with a front-running effort. Three years ago The Tin Man crossed the wire sixth in a 13 horse field. In 2006 the gelding took the lead going under the wire for the first time. He was pressured by Manhattan Handicap winner Cacique, Major Rhythm and 2-1 favorite English Channel.
The Tin Man, ridden by Victor Espinoza, set a moderate pace and was able to hold on for the win. He hit the wire 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Cacique with Soldier Hollow gaining third and English Channel, winner of the United Nations Handicap, finishing fourth in the ten horse field. The time for the 1 1/4 miles was 2:01.35 on a firm turf. Completing the order of finish for Arlington Million XXIV was Cosmonaut, Ace, Better Talk Now, Touch of Land, Major Rhythm and Phoenix Beach.
5104. wabbit - 8/13/2006 5:07:42 PM  Manny Ramirez squelched a potential tiebreaking rally in the ninth inning by throwing out Brandon Fahey at third base. Then the Boston left fielder picked on his Baltimore counterpart one more time. Ramirez singled with two on and nobody out in the 10th, and Fahey ran past it for a game-ending error on Saturday as the Red Sox rallied from a four-run deficit to force extra innings and beat the Orioles 8-7.
Ian Snell pitched seven effective innings and Freddy Sanchez's three hits led to each of the last-place Pirates' runs in a 3-2 victory over the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night. Snell (10-8), the only Pirates starter with a winning record who has been with the club all season, was successful in his third attempt at victory No. 10, giving up only Albert Pujols' two-run homer in the fifth inning.
Todd Walker, Josh Barfield and Mike Cameron homered in the fourth off newcomer Jason Hirsh, and the Padres stopped a four-game losing streak by beating the Houston Astros 6-3. San Diego had reached six runs only once since July 27 and lost nine of 13 games.
MLB scores
5105. alistairconnor - 8/18/2006 12:45:44 PM Landis's sponsor calls it a day. Swiss hearing-aid mogul Andy Rihs just keeps on getting let down by his riders. My heart bleeds for him :
The disgraced Tour de France winner's former team, unable to find a buyer since Landis was busted for doping, will shut down at the end of the season.
"I've had to do something I've never done in my whole life," Phonak owner Andy Rihs said Tuesday. "Give up."
Phonak's image had already been badly damaged by 10 other doping cases since the Swiss-based team was launched seven seasons ago.
[...]
Phonak team manager John Lelangue had no answer for the unusually high number of cheating athletes within the Phonak team over the years.
"It's all individual cases. There were old guys, young guys, experienced guys, with and without results," Lelangue said. "There was no one common profile. It's a very unfortunate coincidence."
Just rotten luck I guess. 5106. wonkers2 - 8/18/2006 4:45:57 PM Cap'n Dirty's race last night. 5107. wabbit - 8/19/2006 8:43:50 PM Nice, Cap'n. I'm starting to remember some of the boat names. 5108. wabbit - 8/19/2006 8:44:13 PM Landis' sponsor isn't the only one calling it a day: The father-in-law of embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis was found dead in his car after committing suicide, coroner's officials said Wednesday.
The body of 57-year-old David Witt was discovered at a parking garage Tuesday afternoon, said Paul Parker, an investigator with the San Diego County Medical Examiner. He had a gunshot wound to the head, and the death was ruled a suicide, Parker said... Ok, I know, too mean.5109. wabbit - 8/19/2006 8:46:12 PM .jpg)
In honor of this weekend's opening of what promises to be a great B movie, we'll have a couple theme photos to go with our sports news today.
 Sporting an eight-pack Matthew McConaughey would kill for, Marion Jones has finally tested positive for EPO. Jones' "A" sample tested positive June 23 for the banned performance enhancer Erythropoietin at the event in Indianapolis, one source told the AP on condition of anonymity because the official results are not yet public.
If a second, or "B" sample, also tests positive, one of the biggest stars of the Sydney Olympics would face a minimum two-year ban from competition. The 30-year-old sprinter made a triumphant return to the sport's center stage in Indianapolis, with a victory in the 100 meters, her 14th U.S. title but first since 2002.
Evander Holyfield began his latest comeback looking more like "The Real Deal" than he has in years. Holyfield rocked Jeremy Bates into the ropes late in the first round, withstood a few hard shots -- including one to his face -- early in the second, then cornered and pummeled his insurance-salesman foe to earn a technical knockout with 4 seconds left in the round, capturing his first victory since June 2002.
Sasha Artemev, the prodigy of a former Soviet champion, capped his faster-than-expected comeback by winning the U.S. gymnastics title -- a surprise to pretty much everyone in the sport, including himself. Still rehabilitating from an extensive shoulder injury 18 months ago, the 20-year-old went 6-for-6 in the finals to win easily, with 180.85 points to 179.3 for runner-up Jonathan Horton.
Junior Seau returned to the NFL on Friday after a four-day retirement, trading surfing in San Diego for a one-year contract with the New England Patriots that the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker hopes will pay off with a long-sought Super Bowl ring. The 37-year-old Seau said that no teams wanted or needed him, but he didn't rule out coming back if the right situation came up. Seau said the Patriots called on Tuesday. New England needed another linebacker because Tedy Bruschi has a broken wrist, although he's been out since July 31. Chad Brown and Monte Beisel also are hurt, and Willie McGinest, a mainstay of the Patriots' three Super Bowl titles in four seasons, signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent.
Good luck to those many players clumped together at the top of the leaderboard in the PGA Championship at Medina. They should all watch their step.
5110. wabbit - 8/22/2006 1:58:35 PM  I, for one, am happy to see Tiger Woods regaining his form. Woods went from brown fairways to lush greens, from pure irons to perfect putting, from silver claret jug to shiny Wanamaker Trophy. For all those changes, from one major to the next, this much stayed very much the same: Woods overwhelmed his competition again Sunday at the PGA Championship, closing with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory in the PGA Championship, giving him 12 career majors and leaving only Jack Nicklaus and his 18 titles in his way.
It started with a 10-foot birdie on the first hole to take the lead. It ended with a tap-in for par, and a celebration so routine that Woods merely plucked the ball from the cup, stuck it in his pocket, quickly raised both fists and walked off the green with a smile that never left his face. One month after his victory at the British Open, where he sobbed on his caddie's shoulder while remembering his late father, Woods became the first player in history go consecutive years winning at least two majors.
5111. wabbit - 8/22/2006 2:00:01 PM  The Boston Massacre Redux is finally over. Hugging and shaking hands after a demoralizing five-game sweep of the rival Red Sox, New York took a season-high 6½-game lead in the AL East with a 2-1 victory over Boston on Monday. The Yankees have never squandered a lead that large, and they hadn't swept Boston in five games in more than half a century.
Noah Lowry already realized he had found a nice groove, then Barry Bonds splashed a home run into McCovey Cove to give the lefty a lead. Bonds hit his 725th career home run on Monday night, moving the San Francisco slugger within 30 of tying home run king Hank Aaron's record of 755 and leading the Giants to a 5-0 win over Arizona. Lowry pitched a two-hitter for his first complete game of the year and third of his career for the Giants, who moved out of last place or a tie for last in the NL West for the first time since July 31. He walked one, struck out six and recorded his first shutout since Aug. 3, 2004, against Cincinnati.
Justin Verlander solved the Chicago White Sox for the first time, giving the Detroit Tigers a little more of a cushion in the AL Central. In the opener of a possibly pivotal four-game series, Verlander gave up one run over seven innings Monday night in a 7-1 victory over the World Series champions. Detroit had lost nine of its previous 12 games and saw its division lead - which bulged to 10 games on Aug. 7 - dwindle to 5 1/2 games.
MLB scores
5112. wabbit - 8/22/2006 2:00:23 PM wonkers2, from the NY Times: It was a glorious Saturday in July, and any sailors worth their salt were out racing. Dozens of sailboats glided across the blue water of Barnegat Bay: little Sunfish, elegant Flying Scots, tubby Sanderlings and speedy E Scows.
But the A Cats stood out among them all, instantly recognizable by their towering masts and huge sails, their broad wooden hulls painted pale yellow, light blue and black, with classic lines that looked contemporary yet somehow of a grander age. And no wonder. The A Cats were bred to race in the Roaring 20’s, and even those built more than a half-century later remain faithful to the original designs...
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